When I leave the Evergreen newsroom tonight, it will be my last time stepping out of Murrow 122 as editor-in-chief. I will return on Monday to find Gabriella Ramos, my second-in-command, looking out from her new office over what will then be her newsroom.

We are reconfiguring the editorial team, as we do with each new semester, but little else will change. Our staff will continue to be fair and courageous in reporting the most important campus issues, as it has done for more than a century. We do not carry this legacy lightly.

It has been an honor to help guide the Evergreen for the past four months. I am exceedingly proud of the editors, reporters and photographers of spring 2017, as well as those I have had the privilege to work with over previous semesters. Their many achievements do not lend themselves to a brief letter, but a few details will help to illustrate their capabilities.

The Evergreen recently won the Society of Professional Journalists’ award for Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper for the region that includes Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana and Alaska. In the coming months we will learn how far we progressed in the national competition.

Staff members also won awards for best photo illustration and best editorial cartooning, and placed as finalists in editorial writing, breaking news reporting, general news photography and general column writing. This speaks to the talent and dedication we have for journalism, and the skill with which we undertake our work.

So far this year, we reacted to national news on a local level as the effects of the travel ban rippled through the WSU community. We strove to do justice to the memories of fellow Cougs who lost their lives too soon. Madison Jackson, the opinion editor who will take over as Ramos’ managing editor next week, organized a panel discussion on immigration, one of the most controversial and crucial issues of the year.

We brought web editor Erin Mullen, who will remain in this position through fall, back into the newsroom. This has led to a much stronger online presence in the form of timely posting, video output and the use of other web elements.

We produced four outstanding special editions this semester and launched Mint, a weekly arts and culture section. Over the summer we will continue to develop new and innovative ways to cover the issues that matter most to students.

As I finish this letter, through my office window I see the editors hard at work creating the newspaper you are reading, as they do five nights a week. Many of them are returning in the fall to various positions, more experienced and eager for success.

I will move on with them next year, to new challenges and exciting stories, confident that I am leaving the helm of the Evergreen in capable hands. Our new leaders, and the rest of our staff, are as ready as ever to work and fight for the students of WSU.